50 English Work Idioms Every Expat Should Know

According to the Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), English skills are a basic requirement in today’s global economy.

But while most English courses focus on fundamental grammar and vocabulary, very few account for the jargon an expat could hear in the workplace. Here are the 50 most common American English idioms you might stumble upon, and how to use them:

1. Cut cornersMeaning: to do something the easiest or quickest wayHow to use it: “Cutting corners on case studies will result in careless errors.”

2. It’s not rocket science Meaning: something is not complicated to understandHow to use it: “Just look up the answer online; it’s not rocket science.”

3. Get the ball rolling Meaning: to get startedHow to use it: “It’s time to get the ball rolling on the 2018 forecast.”

4. Up to speedMeaning: to be familiar with current informationHow to use it: “We have a new team member starting this week. Can everyone help him get up to speed on our accounts?”

5. On the back burner Meaning: low priorityHow to use it: “Put that report on the back burner and focus on new business.”

6. Back to the drawing boardMeaning: to start again after a plan or idea was not successfulHow to use it: “The client rejected our original concept, so it’s back to the drawing board.”

7. For the long haulMeaning: A long period of timeHow to use it: “The new business pitch will be hard work, but we’re in it for the long haul.”

8. Burn the midnight oil Meaning: to consistently work beyond normal business hoursHow to use it: “Our manager is burning the midnight oil to meet every deadline.”

9. Change of paceMeaning: to do something different from a normal routineHow to use it: “Company outings are a nice change of pace from our regular work week.”

10. Think outside the box Meaning: to go beyond a normal ideaHow to use it: “Stop looking at past examples and think outside the box.”

11. On the same pageMeaning: to have a shared understanding with othersHow to use it: “Let’s all communicate constantly so we are on the same page.”

12. Out on a limbMeaning: to do or say something riskyHow to use it: “She went out on a limb to defend my unconventional strategy.”

13. Jump the gun Meaning: to do something early or before the right timeHow to use it: “Next time, do more research instead of jumping the gun.”

14. Throw in the towel Meaning: to quit or accept failureHow to use it: “After receiving negative feedback, she was ready to throw in the towel.”

15. Miss the mark Meaning: to fail to achieve an intended goalHow to use it: “Please redo the presentation since you missed the mark the first time.”

16. Stay on your toes Meaning: to stay alertHow to use it: “There will be random testing on this, so stay on your toes.”

17. Raise the bar Meaning: to raise standards or expectationsHow to use it: “The team must raise the bar if we want to win a customer service award.”

18. Back to square one Meaning: back to the beginningHow to use it: “If we lose our funding for more research, it’ll be back to square one.”

19. Hit the nail on the head Meaning: to find exactly the right answerHow to use it: “That’s what I was thinking — you hit the nail on the head.”

20. Cut to the chase Meaning: to get to the point without wasting timeHow to use it: “Stop talking about irrelevant statistics and cut to the chase.”

21. Rock the boat Meaning: to disturb a situationHow to use it: “The team is finally working well together. A new hire may rock the boat.”

22. To be in hot water Meaning: to be in troubleHow to use it: “My coworker is in hot water after sending a rude email.”

23. Get your foot in the door Meaning: to enter an organization or industryHow to use it: “A coffee meeting can help you get your foot in the door with prospective clients.”

24. Small talk Meaning: a discussion about everyday topicsHow to use it: “The employees made small talk about their weekends while waiting outside the board room.”

25. Have your work cut out Meaning: to have something very difficult to doHow to use it: “She has her work cut out for her when it comes to training the new team.”

26. See eye to eye Meaning: to agreeHow to use it: “My boss and I don’t always see eye to eye on reporting techniques.”

27. To be in the dark Meaning: to be uninformedHow to use it: “The company merger is confidential, so we’re going to keep some employees in the dark.”

28. The bottom line Meaning: the most important part
How to use it: “It may be a good idea, but the bottom line is that it’s not profitable.”

29. Call the shots Meaning: to make the major decisionsHow to use it: “Ultimately, it’s the client’s choice since they call the shots.”

30. Slack off Meaning: to work lazilyHow to use it: “Don’t expect a promotion if you’re constantly slacking off.”

31. Glass ceiling Meaning: a metaphorical barrier preventing advancement to a higher positionHow to use it: “I think there’s a glass ceiling because I don’t see any room for growth here.”

32. Fine print Meaning: details of a contract that are usually overlookedHow to use it: “Always read the fine print before signing a contract.”

33. Crunch the numbers Meaning: to do a lot of calculations or to solve a problemHow to use it: “We’ll need to crunch the numbers to make sure we can afford this.”

34. Have a lot on your plate Meaning: to have a lot of responsibilitiesHow to use it: “I have a lot on my plate since my supervisor quit last week.”

35. Learning curve Meaning: the rate of gaining experience or new skillsHow to use it: “New employees usually have a learning curve.”

36. Ramp up Meaning: to increaseHow to use it: “The team needs to ramp up productivity in order to meet their deadlines.”

37. In the red Meaning: to be in debtHow to use it: “If my company loses this client, we’ll be in the red for months.”

38. The ball’s in your court Meaning: to have the responsibility or to take actionHow to use it: “We handed off the assets so the ball’s in your court now.”

39. Off the top of one’s headMeaning: to know immediatelyHow to use it: “I can’t think of any ideas off the top of my head; I’ll have to do more research.”

40. Long shot Meaning: a low likelihood of something happeningHow to use it: “It’s a long shot, but maybe we can convince our boss to take Fridays off.”

41. 24/7 Meaning: 24 hours a day, seven days a weekHow to use it: “He’s in the office 24/7 due to his heavy workload.”

42. By the book Meaning: to do something by law or ruleHow to use it: “The company fired the CEO for not doing things by the book.”

43. Ballpark figure Meaning: a rough estimateHow to use it: “If you don’t’ know the exact cost, just give a ballpark figure.”